No question of PC Chacko resigning: Kamal Nath on 2G JPC report

New Delhi: As the Opposition prepared to scuttle the JPC report on 2G spectrum scam, the government on Thursday expressed confidence that the members will exercise their correct judgement irrespective of their party affiliation. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kamal Nath's reaction came when asked about the Opposition parties' move to corner JPC Chairman PC Chacko over clean chit to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in its report on the 2G scam. "There is no question of PC CHacko resigning. The report (JPC draft report) will be tabled and discussions will be held," Kamal Nath said.

Asked whether the members of the SP and the BSP in JPC would support the report prepared by Chacko, he said, "I am confident that the members will exercise their correct judgement irrespective of their party affiliation. Well.. we will see that in the meeting." Non-Congress members of the panel have termed as "Congress report" the JPC draft report giving clean chit to the Prime Minister and Finance Minister P Chidambaram.

Opposing the report, 15 members from BJP, JD(U), Trinamool Congress, the Left, AIADMK, DMK and BJD want Chacko's removal as the panel Chairman. JPC has a total of 30 members. On BJP leader Yashwant Sinha's latest letter to the Prime Minister in which he asked Singh to appear before the panel saying his silence will "confirm" his involvement in the 2G scam, Nath said, "Mr Yashwant Sinha can say anything and everything. It must be credible."

The JPC meeting was planned for Thursday but it was postponed following death of Lok Sabha TMC member Ambika Banerjee. Chacko said that the new date would be announced soon indicating that it would be possible only next week as some members have expressed "inconvenience" if it is held on Friday.

Meanwhile, the CPI(M) on Thursday said it would submit a note of dissent on the JPC report on 2G scam, saying the draft report prepared by Chacko was "biased". "My dissent note is ready and I will submit it at the meeting of the JPC when it is held next week. It is a detailed note which will give out the reasons why we disapprove the draft report, which is completely biased," senior CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yechury, who is a JPC member, said.

Without elaborating on the contents of his dissent note, he said "it will also act as an alternative report" on the 2G spectrum allocation scam. In the face of this opposition, Chacko is being supported by members of his Congress party and those of the NCP, the BSP and the SP.

The crucial meeting of the panel to adopt the draft report slated on Thursday was postponed following death of a sitting Lok Sabha member. It is now likely to be held next week. The CPI(M) had earlier strongly criticised the "deliberate leak" of the draft report, saying it amounted to breach of parliamentary privilege. Such drafts of parliamentary panels are not made public before they come out with the final report, Yechury said, demanding a thorough probe into the leak of the 350-page report.